by Robbie Bolog
Nothing sets your backyard party apart from your neighbors better than a great outdoor sound system. While the music may not be the main attraction behind your pool party, it certainly is the icing on the cake. That being said, bad icing can ruin even the best cake, so it’s important to do your research, and ensure that you get the best sound system for your backyard needs. When that one song finally comes on at your next party (“Dont Stop Believing” for example) and everybody stops and sings along, you’ll know it was worth the investment.
Here’s a few different speaker categories to consider. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it will at least get you thinking about the possibilities.
- Polk Audio Atrium4: The nice thing about these all purpose speakers is their relatively small footprint, and rugged all-weather design. In my experience, Polk Audio is a great sounding, reliable brand that maintains quality at a relatively affordable price. The Atrium4’s won’t rattle the fillings out of your teeth with the bass (check out the Sub10 for all your low end needs), but a pair of them will get loud enough to fill in the gaps between those awkward conversations with the in-laws. They also have brackets on the back that can easily be mounted to a railing or other surface in your pool area.
- Niles Stereo Planter Speaker: If you want a speaker that really blends in to your backyard environment, check out this creative offering from Niles. It is designed to look like a terracotta pot, and you can even plant flowers in the pot and still use it as a speaker. Too cool! While I’ve never tried anything by Niles, they seem to get pretty good reviews, and they are the only company out there making a flower pot speaker.
- Boston Acoustics rock speaker: Continuing on the hidden speaker theme, are the always trusty rock speakers from Boston Acoustics. While the rock design is a bit cliche at this point, I am a big fan of the Boston Acoustics brand. Plus it’s always hilarious to see the person closest to the “rock” spill their drink when you first fire up the music.
- Russound AirGo wireless speaker: While these speakers are certainly not the most attractive design on the market, they offer complete integration with Apple’s Airplay music system. Since it synchs wirelessly with your iTunes library, you have access to all of your music and can place the speaker anywhere in the backyard. Excellent for a more portable setup. Just think, the music could follow you from the grill, to the dinner table, to the pool, to the campfire…
- Bose Environmental speakers: I am always hesitant to recommend Bose products because they tend to be overpriced for what you get. Gotta hand it to their marketing department, they have positioned themselves in the high end speaker segment, but from my experience they often don’t live up to the hype. All that aside, I have been to parties with these speakers and I can say I was thoroughly impressed. The great thing about these is their organic design that allows them to easily hide in the middle of a garden or grassy area. And the downward firing driver allows them to project the sound 360 degrees, ensuring that your whole party can hear them from any location.
- Electro Voice underwater speakers: One of the most radical designs on the market are these underwater speakers that mount under the surface of your pool. While I don’t know much about these, sound travels many times faster through water than it does air, and one of these would probably be adequate for most pools. Just think of how cool it would be to swim laps to some of your favorite music. Be sure to Ask the Pool Guy for recommendations on how to install these!! I am not liable for you poking a hole in your pool liner…
This is just a small sampling of the many options out there, but it should at least get you thinking about what’s most appropriate for your backyard. Pay close attention to the wattage of the speakers you are buying, and make sure it will be adequate for the size of your party area. Air is one of the hardest mediums for sound to travel through, so having a few extra watts to pump out the jams is always a safe bet!
Guest post by Robbie Bolog. A senior at Eastern Michigan University, Robbie will be graduating in April 2012 with a degree in Film and Marketing. He is most recently the founder of The Grasser Media Project which works to provide musicians with case examples of creative marketing ideas to get your music noticed. His site, TheGrasser.com, is still in the development phase, but is seeking to make a major impact on up and coming musicians in the digital music era. Contact Robbie@thegrasser.com for more information.